Swatch of the Month inspiration featuring: Detail of The Wrap Top Kit in Sand; Embroidery Floss; The Wrap Top Kit in Sand; Plain Cake hand-dyed yarn from Madelinetosh for August’s Swatch of the Month and DIY kits; Plain Cake Tea Towel Kit; Plain Cake yarn in Madelinetosh studio.
Through our collaboration, Madelinetosh developed an exclusive yarn for August’s Swatch of the Month—which we’ve used to hand-embroider our cotton jersey. The yarn company prides itself on their passion for color. This work with color allows them to work with other designers (like us), yarn companies, makers, and local yarn shops to strengthen the making community. Along with her team, Laura Zander—CEO of Madelinetosh—has the vision of building community through color and texture. (For Jimmy Beans Wool fans, Madelinetosh and JBW became sister companies in 2019 when Laura and Doug Zander took over operations to preserve their legacy.)
In addition to Swatch of the Month, we have collaborated with Madelinetosh to release two exclusive, limited-edition kits that feature “Plain Cake” hand-dyed yarn. Its color is classic and inspired by the cake once served in our café at The Factory.
Swatch of the Month inspiration featuring: Cake stand from Alabama Studio Style. Photograph by Robert Rausch; Plain Cake hand-dyed yarn from Madelinetosh for August’s Swatch of the Month and DIY kits; Plain Cake Journal Cover Kit; Fern Stencil Artwork.
Find the Plain Cake Journal Cover Kit and Plain Cake Tea Towel Kit—both great beginner projects—stenciled with our Fern design and ready-to-sew using the Satin Stitch and Madelinetosh’s yarn.
Swatch of the Month inspiration featuring: Fern Panel Tunic Kit; Detail of Fern fabric with Beaded Satin Stitch; Fern Panel Tunic Kit and The Essential Rib Skirt; The Geometry of Hand-Sewing by Natalie Chanin
This month we also highlight two additional Fern kits from our archives—the Panel Tunic and The Wrap Top, each using Button Craft thread for the Satin Stitch embellishment.
Swatch of the Month inspiration featuring “Tactile Corpuscles”, 2014 by Sanne Muiser for the Earth Matters exhibition curated by Lidewij Edelkoort and Philip Fimmano. Photograph by Studio Pluis via TLmag; Grid of fabric swatches testing Satin Stitches with Madelinetosh yarn; The Wrap Top Kit and The Essential Rib Skirt; Fabric swatch in Fern Black with Sage Button Craft thread
Instructions for Satin Stitch are available in this month’s swatch of the month newsletter, Alabama Chanin Sewing + Design, and The Geometry of Hand-Sewing.
Subscribe to Swatch of the Month where we share more about Laura, Madelinetosh, and the inspiration behind and color development for the “Plain Cake” yarn. This month, subscribers also receive exclusive access to a Q+A with Natalie and Laura in a virtual session on August 19th at 4 p.m. CST.
Find our Fern kits—the journal cover, tea towels, wrap top, and panel tunic—among recent designs and favorites in our Featured collection.
Learn more about Madelinetosh and their passion for color and hand-dyed yarn.